


People At Hogwarts

by maraudersmoons



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aurors, Christmas Party, Drinking, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Leaky Cauldron, Marauders, Original Character(s), Short Story, jily, remus lupin - Freeform, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27005998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maraudersmoons/pseuds/maraudersmoons
Summary: December, 1977. A short story in which Sirius Black and James Potter spend the night drinking at the Leaky Cauldron to get into the Christmas spirit.
Kudos: 3





	People At Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for Pengiwen's 'People At Hogwarts' writing competition. Thanks for reading :)

A faint cracking noise interrupted the thick cloak of nightfall in London, 1977.

Elizabeth Theobald stepped out of a cobbled alcove and silently took in Diagon Alley, like a dog with its hackles raised. It seemingly passed the test, as she lowered her wand and began to slink towards the pub. She had just finished a ten-hour training session at the Auror office and only required a quick drink of Firewhiskey before she planned to collapse on her bed and sleep indefinitely so as to not think of anything at all.

Her glassy olive coloured eyes looked up at the twinkling fairy lights reaching from Florean Fortescue’s to Madam Malkin’s.

‘Of course’, Elizabeth thought, ‘it’s nearly Christmas.’

She smiled as though she could still hear the children’s intoxicated laughter and taste the mulled wine shopkeepers had pushed into her frostbitten hands only a year previous. So much had changed. The streets were now desolate, bringing only a few brave Christmas shoppers during the day, and always in a pack. She dragged her eyes from the shop display windows and, pulling her scarf tightly around her, carried on to the Leaky Cauldron.

As she made her way across the sticky pub floor, she was briefly aware of two teenage boys sitting giggling in the corner. They were presumably Hogwarts boys, escaping to the pub for a brief show of freedom over the school break. Still, at least some things never changed.

“Evening Tom. One Firewhiskey please.” Elizabeth murmured, sliding a generous number of sickles across the wooden counter. The hunched barman nodded briefly and swung a full tankard across for her, before returning to his office. Obviously, one was not very inclined to talk in these times, she reasoned, feeling his snub deeply.

As she stood with her back to the counter, her auror senses took over, ears listening for anything of interest to fill the time. She found her eyes wandering back to the two drinking boys, the only others in the pub. One had jet black hair, messed up in a very controlled sort of way, wire frame glasses and a Gryffindor scarf hanging loosely over his broad shoulders. The other could only be described as one of the new wave ‘Rockers’, with his scuffed Dr Martens and thick leather jacket.

The two teenagers rose suddenly and had begun shuffling awkwardly towards the bar.

‘Oh Merlin,’ she groaned inwardly, ‘I am too tired to put up with tipsy Hogwarts students tonight.’

The two boys positioned themselves either side of her, their elbows leaning on the countertop.

“I would just like to let you know that we think your hair is absolutely magnificent”, the boy in the leather jacket remarked, unashamedly, his dark blue eyes staring at her with childlike amazement.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at this. She had been teased mercilessly for her self-cut hair at work and hence, her patience was wearing thin.

The John Lennon impersonator interjected, “No really, Sirius has been staring at it ever since you came in. Not in a ‘oh these guys are definitely creeps’ kind of way, more of a ‘we can appreciate style’ way.” he gushed, throwing his hands up in defence. “I’m James Potter by the way, and this is Sirius.” he added, bringing down a hand to shake.

It was true what Sirius had been saying; he had never seen such art, such pure unadulterated beauty. Her hair, inky black, was delicately contrasted against her pale white complexion and had been choppily cut into a mullet. A _mullet!_ He had only seen David Bowie look as cool with one before. Sirius was in complete awe.

Elizabeth shook James’ hand tentatively, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Elizabeth Theobald.”

“And what is it that you do to warrant such a haircut?”

“I’m in my first year of Auror training. I’m not too sure what Moody thinks of it, but…”

This caught James’ attention, who had submitted his application to the Ministry only days before. He had now pulled up a beaten stool to the counter and began bombarding her with questions about Auror training, from her NEWT results to how to prepare for the defensive magic course.

At some point in this conversation, Sirius must have slinked off to pay for more glasses of Firewhiskey, as the trio found themselves loosening up and Christmas spirit had begun to be felt for the first time this December.

The trio sat around the table, drinking Butterbeers until the early hours of the morning, their conversations gradually descending into delirious babble as the alcohol warmed their bodies.

Sirius recklessly slammed his tankard on the table.

“Would you date James?”

Elizabeth looked over at James. He had been so formidable looking at the start of the night, but she now knew he was no more harmful than a simple garden gnome.

“Considering I am nineteen, and you’re both still in school, I think I’ll have to answer that with a solid no.”

Sirius grinned gleefully, locking eyes with his best friend.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear, Elizabeth. I mean we are of age, but James is essentially married at his point.”

At this comment James looked down bashfully, cheeks reddening, with a soft grin forming on his face.

Sirius’ own face had begun to change, his eyes widening in glee as he began to hear the distant beat of Slade’s _‘Merry Xmas Everybody’._ Grabbing James and Elizabeth’s arms, he led them to the rickety platform where local bands had once played. As the beat began to speed up, they screamed the lyrics in each other’s faces at the top of their lungs, jumping around in circles, all worries of the world diluted by the alcohol and sheer euphoria.

-

As it reached 4am, Tom decided it was late enough and shut the pub for the evening, but not before joining the trio for a last round of drinks on the house.

The temperature had dropped significantly in the hours Elizabeth had been inside and had to use her wand to light the cigarette she had just been offered from James. The group were all lost in their respective thoughts, smoking, as the Kinks ‘ _Lola_ ’ was heard faintly in the background, with Sirius’ foot tapping to the beat.

Elizabeth turned sharply towards the two boys, announcing in her slightly intoxicated state, “Cherish these last few months at Hogwarts. I know you want to be out there, fighting and making a difference, but there will be time for that. Enjoy the last of your childhood. Time is cruel. Keep your friends close and don’t be afraid to love freely. Do not let the enemy divide us.”

“Merlin, where did all this come from?” Sirius laughed, his red cheeks glowing in the moonlight.

She shrugged with a sad smile on her face. “You see a lot in a year.”, was all she could reply with.

James, who had matured heavily over the past few months, looked into the Auror’s eyes and they shared an unspoken feeling of understanding.

The trio walked silently on, not in uncomfortable silence, but in sombre acknowledgement of what had been said. Or perhaps, in Sirius’ case, he was simply too drunk to think of a way to break the silence.

“Goodbye James Potter. I will be waiting to see you next year. And you too Sirius, wherever you end up.”

James and Sirius shook her hand warmly, thanking her for the evening, with Christmas greetings thrown about from all.

Elizabeth disapparated first, from the same alcove she had arrived at, twisting on the spot to turn around outside the doorway her Edinburgh student flat in the Meadows.

As she reached into her pockets to find her house key, she pulled out a bright pink badge with the letters ‘P.A.H.W.F.A.H.W.W.N.D.J.P’, with a note simply reading;

“This is your formal invitation to the highly esteemed ‘People At Hogwarts With Fucking Amazing Hair Who Would Not Date James Potter. Yours, Sirius Black.’


End file.
